Taurine

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid produced endogenously and also ingested in the diet.¹ It is ubiquitously present in most cells and has diverse biological activities, including antioxidative, anticancer, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties.^1,2,3,4 It scavenges 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH; Item No. 14805) radicals when used at concentrations ranging from 125 to 1,000 µg/ml and decreases the viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.² It prevents left ventricular dysfunction in the mdx mouse model of late-stage Duchenne muscular dystrophy when administered at a dose of 1 g/kg per day for six months.³ Taurine (100 µM) prevents neurotoxicity induced by amyloid-β (Aβ) or the glutamate receptor agonists glutamate, NMDA (Item No. 14581), or kainic acid (Item No. 78050) in chick embryonic retinal neurons, an effect that can be blocked by the GABA_A receptor antagonist picrotoxin (Item No. 20771).⁴

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1. Schaffer, S., and Kim, H.W. Effects and mechanisms of taurine as a therapeutic agent. Biomol. Ther. (Seoul) 26(3), 225-241 (2018).

2. Choi, E.-J., Tang, Y., Lee, C.B., et al. Investigation of antioxidant and anticancer potential of taurine by means of multiple chemical and biological assays. Taurine 9 (2018).

3. Mele, A., Manturano, P., De Bellis, M., et al. A long-term treatment with taurine prevents cardiac dysfunction in mdx mice. Transl. Res. 204, 82-99 (2019).

4. Louzada, P.R., Lima, A.C.P., Mendonça-Silva, D.L., et al. Taurine prevents the neurotoxicity of ß-amyloid and glutamate receptor agonists: Activation of GABA receptors and possible implications for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. The FASEB Journal 18(3), 511-518 (2004).